The Heirloom
by binkeybella
Summary: Gibbs' ex, Diane, has a change of heart over something spiteful she did to him during their acrimonious divorce.


**I had to stop writing this for a while while I had a bit of a nervous breakdown. Let's all take time out to pray for the babies and adults and their families in Connecticut. **

**A/N: I don't like Gibbs' and Fornell's ex-wife Diane. At all. She's ten times more obnoxious than DiNozzo Senior, and that's pretty bad. Bad husbands as they might have been, she deserved to not have either of them. I know the last ep she was on was (supposed to be) humorous, but man did she get on my nerves.**

There were a lot of things that had hurt him in his lifetime, but this was one of the worst. He normally didn't get attached to objects, things, material items – they were even more transient than people, whom he had tried like hell to not get attached to anymore in the past decade.

But this...this was visceral, and went straight for the deepest, softest core of him. He knew she was angry beyond all reason about how things had turned out for them, and that when she was that riled up she got irrational, did and said crazy things. And he knew that he was to blame in many ways for how their relationship and marriage had disintegrated into nothing more than accusations and bitterness. But to take this from him...and he knew she had taken it, there was no other place it could have gone...was spite in it's most hysterical form. He had given her everything else in the house that they'd bought together, and replaced it with thrift store junk – he didn't care, he was hardly ever home - and for her to make off with the one thing, the_ only _ thing of value to him from his childhood...was beyond even _his _ comprehension of malice.

It had been lovingly stored away in a small cedar jewelry box – she had taken that, too – and kept on his bureau top, and he took it out on occasion to wind it and make sure it was in proper working order.

She knew what it meant to him, what his grandfather had meant to him, and that by robbing him of that watch, she had cut out what was left of his ragged heart with a wooden spoon.

No one but he and Diane knew it had been done, he was too angry to talk about it, and the words were beyond him anyways. His team had taken the brunt of his rage at her, as he had no other way of venting it, unless he went out and made his latest ex their latest crime victim. And the way they had been feeling about him lately, he was pretty damned sure they would be the first to turn him in testify against him. Well, maybe not DiNozzo, but the kid was a little 'not right' himself half the time, so who knew which way he would swing? Didn't matter, the watch was gone, and he had no idea where Diane was anyways. He'd talked to his lawyer about it, but the guy hadn't seemed that concerned about it since he didn't know how long it would be before he got paid for his having to ref Gibbs and Diane every time he turned around. Gibbs had even heard him tell his secretary that there wasn't a dollar figure he could attach to the volatile divorce proceedings to make it worth what he had gone through with the revolting couple.

So he had worked on his boat until he got too drunk to manage the tools, waiting for the day he'd be able to destroy it in effigy to her, and hoped with all his heart that she would meet someone who would eviscerate her like she had him.

And not too much later, she did, one starry-eyed Fibbie that Gibbs had warned to steer clear of her; Fornell totally ignored him, believing he was doing it out of sour grapes and inter-agency spite, and even stopped speaking to him for a while, until things started going south with Diane in his own marriage. By then they'd had a child together, and it was a little too late to backtrack. It didn't matter, and by the time they decided to split up, Diane was an unstoppable train of scorn and fury, and the Fibbie found himself sleeping with one eye open and his hand holding a loaded gun over his privates.

That had been years ago, and the three of the had moved on in their lives, to new relationships and the day to day challenges of life, though they all still harbored a hard dislike of each other. Well, Gibbs and Fornell had made up long ago, and managed a pretty decent bromance that very few caught onto. Diane on the other hand, still loathed them both and the feelings were mutual for her.

Which was why, after a having to deal with both Gibbs and Fornell concerning her missing new husband and his perhaps hinky involvement with criminals, Gibbs was more than shocked to see her land back in his basement at the end of the case. Maybe _un-nerved _was better word for it, but he stood his ground. She was on his turf now, and she had already run him into the gravel. Not much left for her to hurt him with.

Except perhaps there was, when she admitted to him that he was her 'Shannon' and he realized what a disservice and injustice he had done to her by wooing her into marrying him, thinking she could fix what he finally decided was always going to be broken. Yes, she had been witchy and nasty, sometimes at the worst possible times for him, and often when he was not deserving of her wrath. But he had given up on her when he realized he made yet another red headed mistake, and left her few options.

But she had shocked him the most by giving him back his grandfather's watch, one that he had always hoped to hand down to his own son some day. In all honesty, he figured she had hocked it long ago, or had it melted down for some quick cash, the very thought of which sent a sharp pain shooting through his guts every time he contemplated either possibility. Now he had it back in his hands again, and it looked as though she had taken good care of it. After they had parted company, on better terms than they had since they were first married, he waited to hear her car drive away before sitting down with somewhat shaky legs to inspect the beautiful timepiece. It was still working, keeping perfect time as it had when his grandfather and then his father had carried it. This called for a drink of the good stuff, and he cleared away the cans of paint thinner and linseed oil to get to it. Perhaps Tobias would stop by later anyways, and he could share a toast with him.

Indeed Tobias had stopped by, and they'd drank most of the bottle of the 'good stuff' before the night was out, talking trash and maybe a couple of _good _things about their mutual ex-wife. The case had helped all of them move on in some way, and they both felt lighter for it.

A few days later, Gibbs found himself in his basement with DiNozzo, eating pizza and drinking beer, having successfully located a Marine's missing child safe with his non-custodial father, evidently a mis-understanding between family services and the person babysitting the boy. Tempers flared and tears spilled, but in the end it all turned out okay, and the child was reunited with his mother. Gibbs had calmed considerably by the end of the day, and invited the one who took the worst of his ire over for peace offerings, even buying the pizza himself. When they were done eating, and Tony had settled in to play some relaxing games on his phone while his boss busied himself with his latest wood-working project, Gibbs lifted a small cedar box from his workbench and stood in front of his preoccupied guest.

Tony's head swung up, wondering what he was supposed to be doing other than playing games on his phone.

"There a problem, Boss?" he queried, searching the man's face for some sort of annoyance or impatience.

"No problem, Tony. Just have something I wanna show ya is all."

Tony politely set his phone on the bench he was leaning against, and gave all of his attention to his boss.

"Ya know Diane and I had a bad time of it, 'specially towards the end. She was so pissed at me she did everything she could to get back at me, including making off with my grandfather's railroad watch."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that once. Really low, no matter what she thought you deserved."

"Well, hell hath no fury, as you well know."

"Uh, yeah, unfortunately, I know that all too well, Boss."

Gibbs gave him a half-smirk, recalling all the times he'd heard about womens' revenge on his commitment-phobe agent.

"Anyways, she kinda had a change of heart after we helped her latest out like we did. I don't know what she filched from Tobias other than Emily, but she gave me the watch back."

"Hey, Boss, that's awesome!" He suddenly lost his enthusiasm as a horrible thought occurred to him.

"It's – all in one piece, right, I mean – she didn't leave it in your driveway and let you back over it with the Challenger or something..."

Gibbs gave him a half-smile, half pained wince at the image that came to mind from those words.

"Nope, nothing like that, although I'm real sure she's thought of it plenty."

He opened the box in his hand that held the time piece, displaying a mint-condition pocket watch, happily ticking away and doing its job.

"That's beautiful, Boss!"

"Nineteen Fifteen Waltham Vanguard. Twenty three jewel. Never missed a second since it was put together. Want you to have it, Tony."

Tony choked and gulped in shock, his body actually retreating back into the bench.

"Boss? That's yer grand dad's watch. Then your dad's. Then yours."

"Now it's yours, Tony. Wantcha to have it." Gibbs announced solemnly.

"But I'm not - "

"No, yer not, not by blood. You know what I've told you, there's more to family than DNA."

"Yeah, Boss, but.." Tony stuttered, still flabbergasted by Gibb's offer of the watch and the meaning behind it.

"You don't want it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs' voice took on a hard, hurt edge.

"I – it's – Boss, I -"

Gibbs took a step back and eyed his second, trying to read his eyes and body language. As usual, he saw what he thought would be there – pride, joy, , and something behind them that angered him – doubt. The guy would never expect his own father to give him such a sentimental, extravagant gift, and here his _boss _of all people was giving him his grandfather's beloved, near century -old pocket watch.

"Want _you _to have it, Anthony." he reiterated, his eyes locked on his SFA's. "Yer the next in line. Something happens to me, I want you to know it's yours, have it in your hands already. Only condition is not to wear it to work. You fall on it or bang it into a car or Marine or whatever else yer always slamming yourself into on the job, I'll take ya down to the mats and even Abby won't find any evidence when I'm done with ya."

Tony smiled slowly, a real from-the- heart smile that sparkled in his eyes, and Gibbs felt his own hardened heart soften just a little.

"Got it, Boss. No wearing it to the Yard."

"Okay, then. And ya don't have to brag about it to McGee, either, I don't want any hurt feelings over it, he means a lot ta me, he knows that, but yer my first boy."

"And yer favorite."

"Yeah, sure, but don't be rubbin' that in his face, either. He's a good kid, just can't relate to 'im like I do you. Hell, sometimes I'm not even sure about _you_, DiNozzo."

"But ya love me anyways, right?"

Tony's voice was teasing, but the look in his eyes wanted an answer from the older man.

"Gotta say it to ya, DiNozzo? Make me sound like one a' those Hallmark moments yer always yabberin' about?"

"No, Boss." Tony grinned again, another one that reached his eyes, eyes that shone bright with emotion. "Thanks. All kidding aside. This means the world to me, and you know I mean that. And if my father ever bothered giving me something like this, it wouldn't have anywhere _near _the same meaning that this does."

"Yer welcome, Tony. Maybe someday _you'll_ have a son to pass it on to."

"There's always hope, Boss. And if I do, I'll make sure I bring him down here to have you teach him about wood, and boats, and the important things in life."

"I'd like that, Tony." Gibbs declared, his own eyes suspiciously bright. "C'mon, I bought a cream pie to go with the pizza, bet we can polish it off before tomorrow afternoon."

He slapped Tony's shoulder, and they headed up the stairs to the kitchen. No matter how many bad days there were, Gibbs thought, there were a few days just this good mixed in between.


End file.
